Illuminated display



1941- F. w. BRODERICK ILLUMINATED DISPLAY Filed June 18, 1940 7/ INVENTOR ATTORNEY @atentedl D. 2, i941 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE mummunn nrsmr Frank W. Broderick, New Brighton, N. Y., assignor to Reynolds Metals Company, Richmond, Va., a corporation of Delaware Application June is, 1940, semi No. 341,082

ZCiaims.

This invention relates to an improved collapsible or knockdown display formed cheaply and economically of cardboard and metal foil stock, and having different day and night display effects and which is particularly adapted to provide when illuminated, a subsidiary phantom message in addition to a major sales message, and the present invention is to be regarded as an improvement of the class of illuminated signs described and claimed in Belden U. S. Patent No. 2,086,893, issued July 13, 1937, Sunderhauf U. S. Patent No. 2,148,179, issued February 21, 1939, and Sunderhauf U. 8. Patent No. 2,195,977, issued April 2, 1940.

Heretofore, various illuminated displays have been suggested which by means of various translucent screens manufactured of glass or paper or the like, have been adapted to give varying efi'ects including "phantom" effects under different conditions of illumination. Certain of the displays incorporated breakable glass parts, others were not attractive or attention compelling, and still others were extremely diflicult to fabricate or to ship because they were not fiat folding.

Therefore, it is an object of my invention to die-cut and die-score preferably metal foil covered cardboard into two simple parts and to add thereto a translucent screen, so that these elements can be easily and economically factoryjoined together, into a fiat, collapsible or knockdown display and which may be easily assembled into an upright display position for counter or window display use.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a cheap and economical day and night display having a major sales message which is readable whether the display is illuminated or not, and also having a subsidiary phantom sales message which is rearwardly projected upon a translucent screen through stenciled openings.

It is still a further object of my invention to manufacture fiat, collapsible displays of this class in large quantities economically, and in such fashion that when assembled in upright display position, the displays are strong and stable and attractive.

It is still a further object of my invention to provide such displays formed from a main foil covered cardboard body member, die-cut and.

die-scored by machine methods and simply add thereto a simple translucent screen member and an outer panel member therefor, making three simple members only for factory assembly, so

far as the display itself is concerned, not including electrical adjuncts.

These and various other objects and advantages will be readily understood from the following description takcn in connection with the accompanying drawing of a preferred embodiment of the invention in which modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a die-scored, die-cut stenciled main body member formed of an integral piece of stock;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a translucent screen having imprinted thereupon, a major sales messageb in this instance illustrated as the number 94 n:

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a panel member adapted to be mounted over the translucent screen illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 represents the assembled parts in upright position and illuminated of a display em-' bodying rnv invention;

Fig. 6 is a cross section taken on the line 6-6 of Fi 5;

Fig. 7 is a cross section taken on the line 'f-I of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary section partly broken away, taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5.

In these figures, a day and night display It will be formed with a main body portion l2 which latter will ordinarily be die-cut and diescored from stifi' cardboard or like paper or other stock in such fashion as to provide a main display panel H, side panels l6, bottom panel l8, and rear panel 20, and these parts will normally be integrally connected one to another having score lines 22 as indicated therebetween permitting the parts to be folded flat as indicated in Fig. 1 or assembled in upright position as indicated in Fig. 5.

.As specifically indicated in Fig. 8, main display panel I4 so far as the body member 12 is conczraed, will be of reduced thickness, as indicated a Main panel member i l will have stenciled therein indicia for example, in the form of, a major display message, for example, the number "1940 identified as 23, and further indicia in the form of phantom" sales message indicated in the illustrative figures as ADV and identifled as 25.

A translucent screen 26 formed of sla'ssine or is approximately similar in size to display P nel ll and which also has provided thereupon preferably by printing on its exterior side, the major sales message 1940, indicated as 2| and also, if desired, a contrasting colored background 30. The number screen conforms in size and is in registry with the number "1940 upon panel ll.

Translucent screen 26 ordinarily will be adhesively mounted upon display panel member ll of the main body portion [2, with the main sales messages on each of the parts in registry, but so that a portion of the translucent screen covers and screens that subsidiary sales message ADV (25). A suitable panel member 31 will normally be mounted adhesively marginally of the translucent screen member 28, as indicated.

Suitable slot members 32 and corresponding projecting members 34 will be provided for the assemblage of the display into a substantially box-like closed casing and also suitable die-cut support means indicated generally as 36 will be provided for the means indicated generally as 38, which in this instance, is illustrated as an electrical light bulb 40 with a conventional socket member 42. A flasher mechanism (not illustrated) will ordinarily be employed with the illuminating means 38 thereby giving intermittent illumination.

Main body portiton [2, except for the outer side of display panel M, will normally be covered inside and out with a thin layer of aluminum foil identified as 44, thereby giving high reflectivity of light to the interior of the casing and affording fire and water resistant qualities to a major portion of the display.

By this disposition of parts, it will be observed that when the display is not illuminated, and when there is sufiicient exterior light upon the display for normal reading, that the major sales message, namely, the number 1940 is visible upon the exterior of the translucent screen as is also the contrasting background 30 (or other desired message). However, if the display is intermittently illuminated during the day time by a flasher mechanism, then the phantom" message ADV is intermittently visible in illuminated form by means of the passage of reflected light through the stencil openings in display panel It. The message 1940 will also be similarly illuminated. For even distribution of light, light rays passing through the stencils should be reflected pr perly.

By this means many striking advertising messages may be attractively and interestingly presented to the public. For example, the translucent screen may have imprinted thereupon, the

picture of an airplane or other interesting artistic commercial representation and periodical- ,ly the display may have a phantom" subsidiary and economically by modern production methods "1940 on the translucent" translucent paper or the like is provided, which and that various modifications therein will occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it

will be realized that the essence of my invention comprises a collapsible, knockdown display formed preferably from metal foil covered stock.

in which'preferably three simple parts are joined together to give night and day display effects which include a main sales message and a periodic subsidiary or phantom sales message. It willbe further recognized that if desired, two light sources might be employed with a dividing wall therebetween in such fashion that the subsidiary phantom sales message is periodically illuminated while at the same time, the main sales message is constantly illuminated.

Accordingly, the scope of my invention is fully defined in the appended claims, it being realized that the above description is merely for illustrative purposes and is not to be taken as limiting my invention.

Iclaim:

l. A die-cut and die-scored collapsible, illuminable display having day and night display values, formed substantially of cardboard or the like and including a flat-foldable casing member formed of one piece of stock, a main display panel forming a part thereof and being of reduced thickness with respect to the rest of the casing member, means for interior illumination of said casing member, indicia stencilled through said display panel, translucent screen means overlying said display panel and covering said stencilled indicia, and a cardboard framing member overlying said screen means and said display panel at the margins thereof, said framing member being of sufllcient thickness so that when its thickness is added to the thickness of the display panel, the combined resultant thickness of the'two members is substantially equivalent to the thickness of the remaining portions of the casing member.

2. A die-cut and die-scored collapsible, illuminable display having day and night display values formed substantially of cardboard or the like and including a flat-foldable casing member formed of one piece of stock, a main display panel forming a part thereof and being of reduced thickness with respect to the rest of the casing member, means for interior illumination of said casing member, indicia stencilled through said display panel, translucent screen means overlying said display panel and covering said stencilled indicia, a cardboard framing member overlying said screen means and said display panel at the marmns thereof, said framing member being of suflicient thickness so that when its thickness is added to the thickness of the display panel, the combined resultant thickness of the two members is substantially equivalent to the thickness of the remaining portions of the casing member, and a highly light reflective lining associated with the interior of said casing and cooperating with said illumination source whereby reflective light is projected through said stencilled openings and said translucent screen to create visible indicia on the exterior of the latter.

FRANK W. BRODERICK. 

